"Join the Assassins"

Assassin's Creed is a stealth action game set during both the times of 2012, and during the time of the Third Crusade. The game host two main characters known as Desmond and Altair, the descendant of Desmond. The game is based on a trilogy of Assassin's games to come, which should come out in the future. While the game is fun and all, it does have a few problems with it.

Gameplay - 6/10The gameplay of Assassin's Creed is very simple. In the future setting, you will be uncovering clues on what is happening and why you're at the place that you're at. In the form of Altair, you will be tasked with the hunting and assassination of nine people in the land that are in fact "hurting it". Most of these people that you're supposed to kill are corrupt leaders/merchants....essentially real scumbags. You have to preform a set number of task though before you can complete an assassination.

When you first enter a city area, most of it will be shaded out and you will have to climb tall towers, that will be marked on your map, and that will help you familiarize with your surroundings. After you've gone to all the towers, you can now see the city and all the events that are happening in it. First thing to do to start a mission is to go to the assassin's safe house and speak with the Assassin's Creed representative in that area of the city. After that, you can either continue with an investigation in order to assassinate your target or you can perform a couple of side quest that will ultimately help you in the assassination. The main form of side quest is to help a citizen in need that is being heckled by soldiers. Usually this means fighting the soldiers which is another thing.

Fighting is very simple. You can block, attack, counter, and run away. Usually your opponents will block your attacks until eventually you'll land a finishing deadly blow. By countering an attack from a soldier, you can instantly kill smaller soldiers and knock away bigger soldiers, which you can kill if you counter again. If you're too weak to fight, you can always run. After running away, you can search for a hiding place, whether it be mound of hay or a bench and eventually, they'll stop looking for you. The fighting is really easy once you get the hang of it. Now, back to the original statement.

If you help a citizen from a pack of soldiers, you can gain help from the crowd. You can get scholars to help you by creating a moving hiding place by blending into them. Another benefit is someone who will distract the guards for you, allowing you to run away with having to fight. Usually these benefits will be very helpful in the final mission when you have to get back to the safe house without any unwanted attention.

Now, the way you assassinate a target is simple. You must first investigate a target to see where he is, any defenses that he might have, why he's wanted killed, and what's the best way to kill him. Investigation is involved in a simple set of smaller missions that must be completed. These include eavesdropping on an individual while concealed by sitting on a bench, interrogation of an individual who is speaking for information(Then he begs...and you kill him), pickpocketing an individual who has a letter of something that map include a better way to move, and completing task for a informer or fellow assassin, which usually includes a flag fetching mission or killing select individuals without being seen. You complete enough of these missions and you will get the final assassination mission which involves finally killing these targets. When you're done, you will end up in the Desmond form again. Now, this is fun but it's repeated for every mission and that makes the game feel repetitive towards the end of it. You must of heard the saying: "Once you've played a mission, you've played them all"...and well, they're right in a way. Also, there are a set of flags in each city that you can collect for achievement points. Although, there is no benefit for collecting them.

Story - 7/10The story of Assassin's creed is actually quite decent. You play as both Desmond and Altair, as I've explained earlier. While playing as Desmond, you'll have been locked by Abstergo in their evil plot to destroy the assassin's. Since you've got nothing in this form.....you must comply and you enter your hidden memories, which is where the Altair form comes. While playing in the Altair form, you live in 1191, during the Third Crusade, and living in the "Holy Land". You're an assassin who has made a fatal error in the beginning and must kill 9 people to redeem yourself. You'll set out across the hold land and visit the cities of Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus to kill your targets and ultimately reveal the evil plot of the vile Templars. Overall, the plot is good. Sure, it won't mesmerize you, and you won't cry but it's something. Not the worst....not the best.

Graphics 9/10Okay, I'll just say it now. The graphics are excellent. The site of the land while on the tall towers is excellent and really detailed. The water is cool looking, and the graphics are just stunning. The graphics also never let up and stay at a steady rate so it's quite impressive.

Sounds 7/10The music of Assassin's Creed is nothing special but some of it are good. I particularly like the song that appears during the credits and while you're completing an assassination but that's it. There isn't much music in it to begin with.

Overall - 7/10So, overall, the game is decent but will start to get repetitive towards the end and that makes many stop playing. Overall, you should be able to make a speed run of the game in about 6 hours. If you complete all the side quest, collect all the flags, max out all investigations, you could last about 11-13 hours. Although, after you play it, you most likely will never go back.

At the game's current price: It's should be a good buy and should provide a moment of fun. "Now, get killing"